The Benue State Police Command confirmed yesterday it had recovered 10 bodies of villagers killed by herdsmen in Tse-Audu and Enger villages in the Gwer West Local Government Area of the state.
Spokesman for the command, Moses Yamu,an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), said the bodies were victims of the Thursday attacks on the villages.
He said they had been found by the mobile police contingent deployed in Naka, the headquarters of the local government area.
He attributed the deaths to armed herdsmen, claiming that the police had in their routine surveillance, also encountered the herdsmen.
“Eight dead bodies were found in the bush around Tse-Audu and Enger villages in the Gwer West Local Government Area.
“This is in addition to the two bodies that were removed from the same area on the same day,” he said.
The police spokesman, however, assured residents of the communities of the safety of their lives, pointing out that a detachment of police team on counter insurgency had been deployed to the area.
He advised members of the public to promptly report any suspicious movements to security agencies for immediate action.
The member of the House of Representatives from the area,Dickson Takighir,said on Thursday that at least 24 persons were killed in renewed attacks by suspected herdsmen in various communities in Benue State.
He said the killings were carried out between April 2 and 4.
The killer herdsmen, according to him, attacked seven communities in the state and were also laying siege to some others.
He said:”They (the herdsmen) are right now stationed at the Nzorov council ward, ready to attack Gbajimba in the Guma Local Government Area. There are others in Nasarawa, ready to attack Udei and Daudu with over 14 people killed in the last four days.
“Similarly, Sengev, Mbakyondo and Mbapa areas of the Gwer-West Local Government Area are currently under siege by armed herdsmen.
“In Tsegaase, two people have been killed; one person is missing in Zwatema, two killed in Tse Adeke, one killed in Tse Adudu with one missing in Tsekelefu.
“So far, we have yet to confirm the casualty level in Enger. On April 3, four people were killed in Anyebe and one person at Mbavihi, both in the Tonbo ward of the Logo Local Government Area.”
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